There’s already been twelve practices for the Arizona State Sun Devils during Fall camp. And we’re still three full weeks away from their season opener against Portland State.

Dennis Erickson’s team got a chance to line up for the first time this fall camp in a live scrimmage at the Bill Kajikawa Practice Field early on Saturday morning.

And not surprisingly, the defense outshined the offense. But it wasn’t all about the defense.

“I thought our first team offense, particularly that offensive front, played pretty well,” fourth year head coach Dennis Erickson said. “For the first time, I thought our offense was pretty good, pretty well executed.”

Many of the fans who attended the practice in Tempe had their eyes on the quarterback position, where sophomore Brock Osweiler and juniors Steven Threet and Samson Szakacsy are all battling for playing time. It was Osweiler who ran the first team, while Szakacsy ran with the second offense. And although Threet played third string on Saturday, he drew individual praise from his head coach.

“I thought Steven Threet had a real good day,” Erickson said.

Threet directed a touchdown drive that was capped off with his own 4-yard touchdown run. He also threw a touchdown pass, the only one of the scrimmage, to junior tight end Trevor Kohl.

The first team offense got off to inauspicious start, with Osweiler fumbling the first snap of the day before recovering it. The offense then went three and out on their first two possessions. On the third, receiver Kerry Taylor coughed up the football after being hit on the sideline, and linebacker Vontaze Burfict recovered. The offense finally put points on the board in their fourth possession when Thomas Weber capped things off with a field goal of around 40 yards.

The defense, especially the front four, put pressure on ASU quarterbacks all day. Defensive end Jamarr Robinson wreaked havoc in the backfield, but Erickson pointed out afterward that a lot of that came against freshman reserve left tackle Jamil Douglas, who is inexperienced and undersized at this point. Currently, redshirt freshman Evan Finkenberg is starting at left tackle.

Burfict was limited once again on Saturday with an ankle injury that has slowed him since early in Fall camp. Gerald Munns, the senior who’s competing with Burfict for playing time at the mike linebacker position did have an interception of Szakacsy during the scrimmage.

Another player who stood out on the offensive end was true freshman running back Deantre Lewis, who showed a real burst with the football, and got through to the 2nd level of tacklers on a number of occasions.

According to Erickson, fans will see a lot of #25 this fall at Sun Devil Stadium. “Cameron (Marshall) is in there, but shoot, you’re not going to keep a guy like that off the field,” Erickson said. “We’re gonna end up playing three or four of them.”

Erickson also mentioned freshman tailback Marcus Washington, Desert Vista High product. “He’s got some power,” he said. Late in the scrimmage, Washington displayed some tough running that set up a short td run by freshman quarterback Taylor Kelly.

The Sun Devils have an off day on Sunday, and get back at it Monday morning with a session at the Kajikawa Practice Facility and another session indoors at the Dickey Indoor Practice Facility on Monday afternoon.